On the nature of nature: Experimental studies in the power of rhetoric

This paper reports two studies which investigate the effects of different definitions of the natural upon human preferences. The first study is designed to show that items are deemed more acceptable when defined as natural than when defined as non-natural. Subjects rated the acceptability of cannabis use after reading a text which either described it as a natural herb or as a drug. Acceptability ratings were significantly higher in the former condition. The second study examines how the way in which the category ‘nature’ is defined affects the acceptability of changes to the environment. Subjects watched videos which showed pictures of landscapes and then superimposed changes which consisted either of wild, non-human elements (W), human elements which fitted with the colour, texture and contours of the original (F), or human elements which were unfitting in terms of these criteria (U). It was predicted that, when we defined nature as virgin territory, W changes would be more acceptable than F or U changes. However when we defined nature as visual harmony, it was predicted that W and F changes would be equally acceptable but U changes would be less so. The results largely confirm these predictions. In discussion we argue for the importance of studying how processes of defining nature affect environment action, and for the use of experimental techniques to complement discursive investigations of such processes.     

India's environment: The enclosure of nature and the nature of enclosure

This Fissured Land: An Ecological History of India, by Madhav Gadgil and Ramachandra Guha. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1992, 274 pages, £4.95 pb.

Nature, Culture and Imperialism: Essays on the Environmental History of South Asia, David Arnold and Ramachandra Guha. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1995, 376 pages, £19.50.     

On the nature of subjective scales

A number of problems connected with psychophysical scaling are pointed out and solutions suggested. The importance of searching for invariant relations ("laws") is stressed and the advantage of dealing with intrasubjective relations—thereby avoiding the "physicalistic trap"—is emphasized. Two series of experiments, concerning time perception and similarity, are discussed and it is concluded that they support the validity of subjective scales. Finally the role of the observer in scaling experiments is commented on.     

论学习活动的本质

本文将传统的学习理论关于学习概念的定义分为三种基本类型,即结果论、过程论和活动论,指出传统学习理论的混乱基本上是出于没有对学习活动进行全面而系统的分析,并从学习活动的层次性、多侧面性、心理机制、对环境的适应性等方面对学习活动进行了系统的分析。认为学习活动可以分为五种不同的层次,具有五个不同的侧面,拥有两种作用不同的心理机制,最终得出学习活动的本质定义是：学习是一种多层次、多侧面的、适应性的心理活动,它使个体获得经验,并导致个体的已有的心理结构发生适应性的变化。     

Mechanisms and the nature of causation

In this paper I offer an analysis of causation based upon a theory of mechanisms-complex systems whose internal parts interact to produce a system's external behavior. I argue that all but the fundamental laws of physics can be explained by reference to mechanisms. Mechanisms provide an epistemologically unproblematic way to explain the necessity which is often taken to distinguish laws from other generalizations. This account of necessity leads to a theory of causation according to which events are causally related when there is a mechanism that connects them. I present reasons why the lack of an account of fundamental physical causation does not undermine the mechanical account.     

Exploring the nature of cognitive flexibility

Cognitive flexibility is an important characteristic that helps humans pursue complex tasks, such as multitasking and finding novel, adaptable solutions to changing demands. Yet it is still a poorly understood construct. After briefly reviewing several investigations of this construct in cognitive science, I propose a unified account that considers cognitive flexibility a property of the cognitive system, rather than a cognitive skill. The emergence of cognitive flexibility is dependent on two kinds of interactions: the interaction of several cognitive mechanisms, and the interaction of sensorimotor mechanisms, cognition, and context in developmental time. The quest for a comprehensive and unified account of cognitive flexibility is highly justified given its potential usefulness in fostering efficient problem solving and creativity.     

On the nature of the plural self

In a sample of 100 college students, those with a higher score on a measure of having a plural self-concept scored higher on a test of self-monitoring and lower on a test of tolerance for ambiguity, but variance accounted for is small.     

On the nature of the conjunction fallacy

In a seminal work, Tversky and Kahneman showed that in some contexts people tend to believe that a conjunction of events (e.g., Linda is a bank teller and is active in the feminist movement) is more likely to occur than one of the conjuncts (e.g., Linda is a bank teller). This belief violates the conjunction rule in probability theory. Tversky and Kahneman called this phenomenon the “conjunction fallacy”. Since the discovery of the phenomenon in 1983, researchers in psychology and philosophy have engaged in important controversies around the conjunction fallacy. The goal of this paper is to explore the most important of these controversies, namely, the controversy about the nature of the conjunction fallacy. Is the conjunction fallacy mainly due to a misunderstanding of the problem by participants (misunderstanding hypothesis) or is it mainly due to a genuine reasoning bias (reasoning bias hypothesis)? A substantial portion of research on the topic has been directed to test the misunderstanding hypothesis. I review this literature and argue that a stronger case can be made against the misunderstanding hypothesis. Thus, I indirectly provide support for the reasoning bias hypothesis.